Precut Passions

Precuts…what do you think about them?

For those unsure of what they are, a precut is a manufacturer’s standard cut of their fabric line. They usually have 40-42 pieces to them and are a way of getting a piece of each of the fabrics in a designer’s fabric line without having to buy metreage. Different fabric companies have different names for their precuts. Also, some brands have precut sizes that other brands don’t have. The most well-known precuts, that can cross-over into different brands are:

• 2½” squares
• 5″ squares
• 10″ squares
• 1½” x width of fabric (wof) strips
• 2½” x width of fabric (wof) strips
• fat eighths (9″x21″)
• fat quarters (18″x21″)

I personally love precuts. I also don’t need them. But I do LOVE the opportunities and inspiration they offer. It’s only a few years ago that I discovered them so they still are not my go-to when it comes to designing projects.

Over the last few years I have curated a beautiful collection of precuts and so far I’ve only used 2 types but I do have plans – big and small – for all of them. I just can’t stand waste, of any kind, so when I do cut into them it will be in a VERY considered manner because these beauties are not cheap!

These Moda Mini Charms (2½” squares) are the tiniest precut and they fill me with excitement. I have only ever used Mini Charms for zipper pouches and they are so fun, I have a few more planned for this lovely lot.

Here’s a little Christmas-themed collection, all Moda. There’s that pretty little Mini Charm again ⇖ next to its big brother, the Layer Cake (10″ squares) ⇑ and then a scrumptious Jelly Roll (2½” x wof) ⇖ . These were all purchased from The Sewing Studio last year during one of their sales – when the box arrived I squealed with delight!

Before we move on to Fat Quarter and Fat Eighth bundles let’s just admire the possibilities attached to the Charm Pack. This 5″-squared stack of fabric is incredibly versatile, as are all the precuts, I know, but the Charm Pack, for me, is the ‘inbetweener’ with relation to cost as well as its potential. For me it’s the transitional precut that can just as easily become a quilt as it can a small bag.

–As with all crafts, the only limit is your imagination–

When I bought this Charm Pack I purchased metreage of 2 of the prints from the collection as I had a project in mind for it. Those plans later changed but that just means that now there’s even more potential for this Charm Pack when the time comes to use it. It really is a dreamy collection…

Right, Fat Quarter bundles (FQs) and Fat Eighths (F8s) are up next. These offer so many options while also raising the bigger issues of waste, or more specifically, creating scraps. When I use any precut I try to use as much of it as possible in my project as I would prefer the whole precut to be finished in one go. I don’t like creating scraps but just this year I have started organising my scraps and almost instantly it was a major success, and let’s face it, using a Fat Quarter or Fat Eighth bundle will always create some kind of scraps!

This fat quarter bundle ⇑ was a decadent gift from my husband earlier this year. It’s Tilda‘s new Songbird collection and he bought it from Hollie’s Haberdashery.

And there we have it, a look at a good-sized chunk of my precuts collection – my non-perishable ingredients for future delicious creations!

What precuts do you use? Do you use them or just collect them?! Any dream precuts you’d like to own? Do you have any interesting ideas that the big fabric companies should consider for future precut sizes and shapes???

Happy stitching everyone x